Weather Shelter for Children

“Waldhotel zum Kuckuck” Bike Shower Now Features a Weather Shelter

One feature—in addition to its bilingual program—particularly sets the “Marjana Domaškojc” Radduscher daycare center apart: At least once a week—and more often when the weather is nice—the children and their teachers make their way to the Black Mountain. While the teachers make their way up the mountain with backpacks and handcarts, the children tackle the climb with a light step. We bring along everything the children need to feel at home in their “forest hotel.” The numerous trees provide shelter from the strong sun, but in recent years there has been no protection from heavy rain. The former construction trailer was dilapidated and had been rendered unusable by vandalism. Five years ago, the daycare center’s support association decided that a new building was needed—unaware of the challenges and costs that lay ahead. The 16-page building permit issued last year—including 5 pages of legal notices—ultimately paved the way.

Martin Fritsch, a contractor from Göritz who was still a parent at the daycare center at the time, agreed to take on the construction using a wood-frame method. “We took the utmost care to ensure compliance with the guidelines, because using non-toxic paints and eco-friendly materials is a given for us,” says Martin Fritsch. He had also brought four small trees for the opening, which were planted by the Friends of the School Association, Vetschau Mayor Chris Mielchen, City Council Chairman Ulrich Lagemann, and himself, and were immediately watered by the children. Even during his time as mayor of Raddusch, the forest project was a cause close to Ulrich Lagemann’s heart. “I’ve been involved with this project for 17 years now; many of the children from back then are young adults today, and I hope that the nature-based education they received in kindergarten has helped shape them into environmentally conscious individuals,” says Ulrich Lagemann.

The biggest challenge was raising the 15,000 EUR needed to cover the costs. The support association—led by Alexander Buchan, Christopher Moll, and Martin Petrick, and comprising 56 members—managed to raise the money after a lot of “door-to-door canvassing.” Alexander Buchan, Chairman: “We are infinitely grateful to the Ministry of Finance, the German Foundation for Civic Engagement and Volunteer Work, Sparkasse Niederlausitz, the Spreewald Cultural Landscape Community Foundation, our contractor, and the many donors, because as an association, we would not have been able to raise this amount on our own!” In this context, he mentions club members Claudia Künzel and Doreen Klinkmüller, who played a key role in the acquisition.

It is precisely the nature-oriented approach of the Radduscher facility that makes it popular with parents, as children from the surrounding towns and Vetschau have been attending this daycare center for quite some time now. Candy Petrick: “Our Liam is in great hands here; he really enjoys going to daycare and has already discovered he has something of a ‘green thumb.’ Heike Rusch-Heine agrees: “Instilling a love of nature is the most important foundation for life for us as parents.” In addition to the forest project, the Lower Sorbian language is also actively taught here. Our Zoey is in excellent hands here, even though our daughter has physical disabilities. The teachers do a great job—and I’m already looking forward to our next child getting to attend this wonderful place in a few years!” As she says this, the heavily pregnant woman points to her belly.

Peter Becker, September 25, 2026